Rent My First Summer (2020)

Gently moving, dreamy teen romance - My First Summer review by PD

This very short, tender and dreamy film concerns the relationship between sheltered and isolated 16 year-old Claudia (Markella Kavenagh), left traumatised and vulnerable after the death of her mother, and Grace (Maiah Stewardson), who seeks Claudia out to check on her wellbeing. The connection between the two young girls is instant and intense, leading to Claudia discovering something of the the joys of the world beyond the four walls of her house and the woodlands on her doorstep. Inevitably, however, their shared idyll rests on borrowed time.

There’s an intriguing darkness at the outset of this story - a rumble of dysfunction in the relationship between Claudia and her mother, a novelist and eccentric recluse who taught her daughter that there is “nothing but pain” in the world beyond their isolated existence. Her mother had so successfully protected Claudia that when she dies, in a deliberate act which nearly claims her daughter’s life as well, the authorities are not even aware of Claudia’s existence. Director Katie Found leans heavily on the use of colour when it comes to exploring the impact of Grace on the life of Claudia - Clad in a pink tutu, with a wardrobe that seems to consist mainly of zinging extrovert primaries and plastic jewellery, Grace injects a burst of energy and positivity into the washed-out sadness of Claudia’s home. Stewardson is a charismatic presence, who perhaps seems more at ease in her role than Kavenagh as the damaged and introspective Claudia.

The adult world is represented by a pair of concerned but lackadaisical policemen, who seem remarkably laid back about the death of Claudia’s mother, and by Grace’s mother, a stridently one-note antagonist with an emotional register which is stuck somewhere between rage and bitterness. And then there’s Claudia’s late mother, who appears to her daughter to dispense prickles of guilt about the pleasure she has found in her relationship with Grace. The love nurtured between the two girls feels all the more precarious when juxtaposed with the uncaring world around them.

The premise takes a huge suspension of disbelief, but ultimately this is a gently moving piece which avoids the usual cliches in coming-of-age/gay-themed films. More to come, hopefully, from a talented director.